Waiting, hoping
by hpfanandgleekx
Summary: CP Coulter's Daltonverse. Drabble turned One-shot turned Two-shot, if those exist. Julian wakes up. Jogan. Stuart trio.
1. Chapter 1

_Characters and a little of the plot belong to CP Coulter._

* * *

When Julian felt himself stir, his eyes flickering open, it took him a while to realise where he was. His vision was still blurred by smoke, his senses dulled by flames, his ears ringing with the cries of his friends. Himself. Logan.

"…_I'm in love with you."_

Memories came flooding back. How he'd gotten here – wherever it was. So Logan knew now. Their friendship would never be the same, if it even existed any more. At least he'd saved him. That was the only thing that comforted Logan as he lay there, eyes open but unseeing.

"_I'm not leaving here without you!"_

Logan must feel guilty, he thought. No matter what, they _had _been best friends for three years. Julian, Logan and Derek. The three of them. They'd been inseparable at one point. A bond like that was hard to break.

The world cleared. He processed what his eyes saw – white. Nothing but a bright dazzling white overhead. He heard the steady beep of machines; felt there wires against his skin. He was in the hospital.

He'd made it, then.

He couldn't remember what had happened during the time he'd been asleep. He must have dreamed, had a near-death experience, something. But the last thing he remembered was jumping from that third floor window.

Somebody was holding his hand – clutching it with a vice-like grip, but whoever it was did not seem to have noticed his waking. Who was it?

He shut his eyes quickly when he heard footsteps approach. He couldn't face anyone. Not yet.

"Lo?" a familiar voice, belonging to the footsteps, asked, stepping into the room. It was Derek, and Logan was the one who was sitting by his bedside, clutching his hand for dear life.

"Lo?" Derek asked again, sounding closer this time. He gently shook his friend awake. Logan relinquished his hold on Julian's hand.

"What's wrong?" Logan yawned.

"Go home; get some rest," Derek told him. "You've been here ever since we were let in."

"I have to stay," Logan argued sleepily. "I've left him before in –" the memory was apparently too painful for him, and he trailed off, fingers finding Julian's again, clutching his hand more gently this time. "I'm not leaving him again," he finished at a mumble.

Derek sighed. "All right. Here."

"Thanks," Logan murmured, evidently accepting something that Derek handed him. Coffee, most likely.

"You do realise that we're going to be kicked out eventually, don't you?" Derek asked, sitting down.

"I may be medicated," Logan muttered. "But I can still put up a fight."

Derek laughed, quietly and hollowly. The events of 'hell night' had clearly taken their toll on both him and Logan. Had everyone even made it out of the Art Hall alive? Julian hoped so. His intention _had_ been to sacrifice his life for everyone else's.

"What are you going to say when he does wake up?" Derek asked thoughtfully, taking a sip of some liquid. Julian supposed he was right about the coffee.

"I don't know," the other boy muttered, yawning a little. "He's still my best friend. That's never going to change."

This answer seemed to suffice for Derek, who drank his coffee in silence.

"What if he doesn't wake up, D?" Logan asked in a broken murmur. "What if he – what if he dies?"

"He's not going to die," said Derek firmly. "No matter what, he always comes back. This won't be any different. Jules is going to wake up, you got me?"

Silence. Julian could only imagine that Logan had nodded.

"What time is it?" Logan asked absently, after a few minutes.

"A little after three, I think …"

"Hmm …" clothing rustled. A phone was switched on. "Oh, Dad and Michelle want to know if I'm coming home …"

He typed a message back. Julian found it interesting that Logan's father had been graced with the title of 'dad'.These situations, where people had come so close to death, changed everything, he supposed.

Well, not _everything_ …

Silence ensued, and this time neither boy made any attempt to break it. Julian still kept his eyes shut.

After what had to be at least an hour, Derek rose from his seat, walking to the door. Julian heard the whispered conversation.

"Hey."

"Hello," a female voice he did not recognise answered. "You're Mr Larson's friend, right?"

"Yeah, me and Logan … do you have a blanket or something for him? He didn't want to go home …"

Julian only then became aware, by the slow steady breathing of the figure sitting next to the bed, and the slackened hold on his hand, that Logan had fallen asleep again.

"Oh, yeah," said the woman, who might have been a nurse. Some poor nurse doing the night shift in the intensive care unit. "I'll just go and get it …"

She walked off, returning several moments later.

"How long?" she asked, sounding interested as Derek approached, supposedly placing a blanket over Logan's sleeping form. He prised Logan's hand from Julian's.

"How long what?" Derek asked, confused.

"How long has Logan been in love with him?"

This stopped Derek in his tracks.

"_What?_" he asked incredulously, though quietly, so not to wake his sleeping friend.

The nurse laughed softly. "I've been in love. I know the look. I think it's sweet that he won't leave."

Derek sighed deeply, sitting down again. "You're saying … that Lo is in love with Jules? Oh god, I am going to _kill _him."

The nurse laughed again. "There's some backstory there, then?"

"You don't want to know," said Derek.

"Actually, I think I do," she murmured. "It's not often you hear something like this on the night shift in the Intensive Care unit."

She pulled up a chair, sitting down.

"We're best friends, the three of us," Derek murmured. "Have been ever since freshman orientation. We don't care that Jules is a lordy primadonna and that Lo's an idiot with anger issues. We're best friends. It didn't matter that Julian kept disappearing off to shoots. He always came back. But then, I realised why he kept leaving … he left every time Logan fell for someone …"

Derek paused, sighing. Julian opened his eyes a fraction, seeing Derek glance towards him and Logan.

"Of course, Logan had no idea … just kept chasing after boys. And Julian kept leaving. He was going to leave for good, but then he got this stalker …"

"Adam Clavell?" the nurse asked, obviously knowing at least some of the story. The scandal had been broadcast; of course it had.

"Yeah," Derek said. "He was sent … death threats. Forced to stay. And then, during Parent's Night … everything kicked off. A bunch of us ended up in the Art Hall – it was on fire. Adam … held Julian at knifepoint and forced him to confess his feelings. And we made it out, somehow, but our music teacher, Mr Harvey, didn't. He saved Dwight's life …"

So not everyone had made it out alive. Julian almost gave a reaction, but caught himself just in time. Mr Harvey had always been kind to him, despite the fact that he refused to join the Warblers on several occasions.

"So that's how we ended up with you lot," the nurse murmured. "Those twins have been forever branded into my brain. If I ever see the two of them again, I'm going to run a _mile_."

Derek laughed slightly. "Evan and Ethan Brightman. Yeah, they have that general … effect."

"I hope those two work it out," the nurse said, standing up. "It was nice talking to you, Derek."

"You too …" the athlete sounded preoccupied, not at all himself.

The nurse left the room. Julian opened his eyes, glancing at Derek. He was met with no response – he hadn't been seen.

"That was unexpected."

Derek looked up, looking completely shocked. He could do nothing but stutter for a whole minute straight.

"Wha—? Jules! You're a—you _heard_?"

"Yeah," Julian smiled wryly. "No," he said, as Derek made to wake Logan. "I – I –"

"Ok," said Derek, nodding in understanding.

Julian pushed himself into a sitting position, taking in the room.

"Never really liked hospitals," he remarked.

"Me neither," Derek replied. Then he smiled.

"What?"

"I'm glad you're back."

"It was a good thing to come back to – knowing that you two were ok."

"I was never even in the fire, Jules."

Julian shrugged. "What did I know? I was on the top floor the whole time …" his eyes flickered to Logan. "D'you think she's right?"

"Despite the fact that I'll have to strangle him if she is, I hope so," Derek muttered. "You two deserve some happiness after all the crap you've been put through lately."

Julian smiled slightly, taking Logan's hand, holding it, though lightly enough not to wake the other boy.

He was a whole different person when he slept – calm, serene. He smiled a little in his sleep, and Julian watched him, waiting.

He, too, hoped that they could work it out.

* * *

_I don't know anything about comas; if they'd be able to wake up undetected or anything, and (thank God) I've never been to the ICU, not even in my own country. I know it's OOC of Derek not to hit on a girl, but he has just been through a hell of a lot, and I ship Dasey anyway._


	2. Chapter 2

_I personally think I'm ruining this by adding to it, but I've been sick for the past few days, and I had to do something while I was sitting around. Then Jogan feels found me and pounced, so yeah_

_Disclaimer: Derek, Julian and Logan belong to CP Coulter, 'Get Up' is Barcelona's. Not the city Barcelona (the planet Barcelona :P), the band Barcelona_

* * *

"Do you want me to get the nurse?" Derek asked. "She seemed nice; I'm sure she'd understand you not wanting to wake Lo up yet. You must have heard us talking. You should get checked out ..."

Julian nodded, knowing his friend was right. He left the room, and the actor leaned back against his pillows, allowing the magnitude of what had happened to wash over him.

He was alive. Mr Harvey was dead. Logan knew how he felt. Logan _maybe_, just maybe, felt the same.

He glanced at his best friend of three years. Logan was still sleeping. He detangled his fingers from his own. He didn't want him to wake up. Not just yet.

Derek returned with the nurse, who could have been Julian's sister. Her hair, a dark brown, was pulled up into a pony-tail. For work, most likely, rather than any personal preference of hairstyle. Her eyes, a honey-brown, were kind. She was not looking at him in the way of a fan, which relaxed him.

"Hi, Julian," she smiled. "Good to see you're awake. I'm Katherine Adams, but you can call me Kit, or Kitty."

"Hi Kit," Julian managed a smile in return.

She checked the monitors by his bedside, proclaiming him fine, considering.

"You can moved out of intensive care in a few days," Kit said. "Do you want me to contact your mother?"

Julian shook his head. "No. It'll be a nice surprise for her."

"Ok, I'll leave you to it," she crossed the room, pony-tail swishing behind her. She turned back at the doorway. "Good luck with Logan."

Julian smiled genuinely, not a patch on one of his Cheshire smirks, but a proper smile nonetheless.

"Thanks, Kit."

Derek resumed his seat, watching as Julian carefully laced his fingers through Logan's yet again, gaze fixed on his sleeping friend.

"He is gonna wake up eventually, Jules."

The actor sighed. "I know, and I probably still won't be ready, but ...putting it off seems easier right now."

"Kitty reckons he loves you back," Derek pointed out.

"I know. I heard."

But still neither one made a move to wake Logan.

An immeasurable amount of time passed, marked only by the amount of times Kit passed by, footsteps echoing in the corridor. She was on 'patrol', while the other nurses stayed with the critical patients, ready to intervene if something happened. She stopped once or twice to hold brief conversations with them before heading off again, footsteps growing softer the further she ventured.

In a flutter of blonde eyelashes, Logan woke. Julian tensed slightly, but did not let go of his hand. Derek watched, already amused.

Logan yawned, straightening up. He stared at Julian, blinking several times to assure himself that this was not a dream. "... Jules?"

He smiled ever so slightly. "That's me."

Logan recovered quite quickly from the shock. "I thought I was suppposed to be the one waiting for _you_ to wake up."

"Funny how things work out."

They found they could no longer look each other in the eye, and sat there, hands still clasped, looking everywhere but each other. Derek, to his credit, left them to it, lurking in the doorway. Julian glanced at his friend, unsure what to say, and decided to express his feelings in the way so many of the Dalton boys (even himself) had found so effective.

He sang.

"_Five days after black and red collide ..._" It was more than five days, he knew that much.

Logan looked away as he joined in, singing softly. "_The motion sickens past, I'll be the first to stand ..._"

"_Behind that weathered door, I thought it would be safest ..._"

Logan glanced back at him, but Julian's gaze was fixed on their intertwined hands, "_My head is dizzy now ... I thought we'd overcome._"

Their eyes met for the first time as they sang in unison, "_We might not make it home ... tonight._"

Derek felt, rather than saw, Kitty appear at his shoulder, and glanced at her. Her expression was a mixture of delight and a smug _I knew it_.

"Do you not have anything better to do?" he asked at a whisper. She glared at him.

The two boys seemed oblivious of their audience, sneaking nervous glances at each other as they sang together.

_Crawling on the ash, she's pitiful_  
_She's lost her sense of light_  
_She has to hold my hand_  
_Had I known we might be two kids without their jackets_  
_My fear would come alive_  
_I thought we'd overcome_  
_She might not make it home_  
_Tonight ..._

"I was right, then," Kitty murmured.

"You were right," Derek conceded. "I promise I'll at least _try_ not to strangle them."

She stifled a laugh.

Logan looked away again, eyes glassy, as he sang, voice barely above a whisper.

_Get up_  
_Get up_  
_Get up_  
_Get up ..._

Julian frowned. How long _had_ it been? He joined in, their voices melding together, slowly rising.

_Oh baby ... get up_  
_Get up_  
_Get up_  
_Get up_  
_Get up_  
_Get up_  
_Get up_  
_Get up ..._

They finished the song, singing softly to each other, foreheads leaning together. Derek tugged on Kitty's sleeve.

"C'mon ... let's leave them alone."

She obliged, following him to the vending machines. He bought a packet of chips, opened them and ate a few. A vague this isn't healthy, you should go home, crossed his mind, and he offered one to Kitty. She refused. She was leaning against one of the vending machines, her arms folded. She was scrutinising him.

"What?" he asked, suddenly uneasy.

"What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Have you got a girl?" she asked interestedly.

"It's complicated ..."

"Ah ..."

"Not - not that I wouldn't be -" Derek stuttered.

She shook her head. "No, I think I knew. You have that sort of look ... I'm good at reading people ... you can probably tell. What's her name?"

"Casey," he said, sitting down on one of the horrid waiting area chairs.

"Nice name," she smiled, sitting next to him, accepting a chip this time.

"Yeah," he took one himself, munching thoughtfully. "She's beautiful. She calls me out on my shit. And I screwed it up."

"I'm sure ... what with everything ... you two can work it out."

"I saw her at Mr Harvey's funeral ... we talked."

"Well that's good!" said Kitty encouragingly.

He gave a non-committal noise.

"If those two idiots can figure it out," she jerked her head in the general direction of Intensive Care, "surely you and Casey can too."

He nodded this time. "Yeah ... hey, Kitty, can I have your number? I'd like to be friends. Wow ... I haven't wanted to be friends with a girl in a while."

She laughed. "Oh, that's why Casey left you, was it?"

"Maybe ..."

"Here, give me your cell."

He obliged, and she tapped in her number, saving it as 'Kitty'.

"You've already got a Katherine in here," she remarked.

"Rivers," he nodded, pocketing his phone. "She's a lovely girl. We're very loosely connected. You might know her. She needs a heart transplant."

"Brown hair? Makes you wish you could give her your own heart?"

"That's her."

"It's horrible," Kitty murmured. Her namesake was a beautiful, lovely grl, so undeserving of the fate bestowed upon her. Yet Katherine Rivers was unafraid of death, so long as she was not confined to the hospital, and she had her mother and boyfriend, David, by her side.

"C'mon," she said, after a moment's musing. "We've given them their moment, let's gatecrash."

"Don't you have a _job_ to do or something?"

"This is more fun."

Derek couldn't argue with that. He followed Kitty to Julian's room, where they found the two boys were lying together on the hospital bed, not facing each other, fingers laced together. They were pretending to be asleep, but obviously weren't.

"You know that you're not allowed to do that," said Kitty, in a conversational tone. "But I will let it slide this once, in the name of true love."

"And be warned," Derek chipped in happily, sitting in the chair that Logan had previously occupied. "I will happily undertake the role of third wheel. Don't think you can ditch me."

Logan yawned theatrically. "Shut up, D."

"You couldn't be asleep again_ five minutes_ after you woke up," Derek said.

"Yeah, okay, you caught us."

"Good acting though."

"He learned from the best," said Julian rather smugly, sounded more like his old self.

"I'm sure," Derek replied dryly, biting back a smile.

"We weren't introduced before," Kitty cut in. "Katherine Adams, but you can call me Kit, or Kitty."

"John Logan Wright III," Logan replied. "But you can call me Logan."

"Pleased to meet you, Logan."

"Pleased to meet you, Kit."

"Okay, so, as Derek here reminded me, I've got a job to do, so see you three around. Tomorrow, probably"

They bade her goodbye, and she left the room.

* * *

_So basically, in Derek's POV, she's Kitty, and in Julian's, she's Kit, purely because I can't decide which name I like better, mkay? _

_And now I'm coming up with a backstory for Kit(ty), in which her brother is one of the coma patients in the ICU, and that's what inspired her to be a nurse. So at the end she went to him for the rest of her shift._

_Oh yeah, I had a horrible headcannon that Julian didn't wake up and they gave up on him and gave his heart to Katherine. Anyone who does angst wanna write that?_


End file.
